Since its inception in 1952, the magazine Aperture has shaped and furthered the evolution of photography into its present status as one of the most important art forms.
With groundbreaking images from early masters such as Charles Nègre and Felix Beato to such seminal figures as Paul Strand, Minor White, Ansel Adams, Barbara Morgan and Henri Cartier-Bresson,
Photography Past/Forward traces not only the development of Aperture, but also the photographers whose work has become an important part of its story.
Photography Past/Forward is supplemented by texts excerpted from the first issue of Aperture in 1952 to Issue 165 in 2001. A range of voices from Nancy and Beaumont Newhall to John Berger, Allen Ginsberg and Fidel Castro expound their theories, manifestos, musings and critiques on a broad range of photography-related subjects. R. H. Cravens provides an in-depth, anecdotal chronicle of Aperture's evolution.
A selection of recent work together with the original spreads from past issues offers a dynamic view of the medium's breadth of focus and innovation